Q&A: Des Gunewardena

You are expanding D&D more than ever at present. Build in recession is clearly your mantra.

My view is that recessions are good times to build businesses as sites can be acquired at sensible prices. We aim to create restaurants, which are successful not just in booms but tough times too. A number of our most successful restaurants (Le Pont de La Tour, Butlers Wharf Chophouse, BluePrint, Quaglinos) were launched in the early 90s recession. 20 years on they are still going strong.

How have you seen the landscape of London restaurants shift since you began?

There have been massive changes. Back then, London was a pretty poor relation to Paris and New York. I think people were more interested in eating quickly. Now I think London leads the world. Chefs and restaurateurs from New York, Moscow and the Far East are all flocking here to open. This is exciting for Londoners but tough competition for existing restaurants.

Where do you see the growth areas in the restaurant industry?

When you see the top end of London restaurants continuing to flourish through the recession, it is difficult to believe anything other than high-end restaurants will continue to do well. But with so many new and interesting places opening every month, I think that where the growth is likely to come is from restaurateurs and chefs bringing great quality and innovative ideas to the scene. This means fresh ideas in terms of food, where currently there is great enthusiasm for simplicity and value (like with Burger and Lobster and Bubbledogs), or uniqueness of venue (rooftop restaurants with amazing views opening in the Heron Tower the Shard, Walkie Talkie).

What key factors inform the success of a new restaurant?

Great food and wine, personable and attentive staff, and the buzz of happy diners from a crowd that makes you feel at home.

Favourite place in town for breakfast, lunch, dinner, cocktails. (Not your own)

One of my favourite places for breakfast is Princi in Soho. For lunch I would simply walk a couple of blocks to Quo Vadis – where not only are you guaranteed a wonderful lunch but also ,if you know him, a great big kiss from the brilliant Jeremy Lee! For dinner, I would beg borrow or steal for a table at Dabbous, and it’s Zetter Townhouse that I would head to for cocktails.

Who do you admire in the industry?

I think the Hawksmoor guys Will Beckett and Huw Gott have captured the current zeitgeist – not just by serving great quality steaks and cocktails but also in how they look after customers. I also admire the Galvins who are lovely people and in terms of classic French food are leading the pack in London.

The D&D is for Des and David. Why has your partnership been so enduring?

David and I are very different. We have different skills and different personal styles. But we also have a lot in common and enjoy each other’s company. We complement each other and we haven’t come to blows yet.

The openings. What have been the greatest challenges in opening the Old Bengal Warehouse and likewise South Place?

The biggest challenges to date in launching both South Place Hotel and Old Bengal Warehouse have been in dealing with the impact of the recession. In OBW’s case this was the frustration caused by the delays to the development as a whole. We’ve had to hold our nerve and remain committed to our original visions when it would have been easier to play safe and compromise on the projects. I hope that this refusal to compromise on quality shows.

This is your first hotel in London. Jeremy King and Chris Corbin are also moving into hotels. What was your motivation?

After the huge success of the Great Eastern Hotel, we’ve remained determined to get back into the hotel business. We think we have something different to bring. Hoteliers tend to think of rooms first. We are equally excited by what goes on in the public spaces – the bars and restaurants and want to bring a unique buzz to them.

You are significant players in the high end London dining scene and have plans globally. Can you explain what these are?

Although we are in New York, Paris and Tokyo, D&D remains predominantly a London business. However in the next 10 years I think we have a big opportunity to open new restaurants and hotels in higher growth cities such as Shanghai, Mumbai and Istanbul. Watch this space.

What is your favourite High Street restaurant?

I am not much of an expert on High Street restaurants but I like Cote and I think Jamie Oliver and his team have achieved a lot in a very short time.

What will you be doing as part of the London Restaurant Festival 2012?

As we do each year, our restaurants will be offering Festival menus. Plus, our brand new Old Bengal Bar is part of the Gourmet Odyssey and Blueprint chef Mark Jarvis and Skylon chef Helena Puolakka are putting on a special game dinner on 12 Oct ‘The Game is on’...

This article appeared in the recent issue of the London Evening Standard Food magazine. For updates please follow it on Twittter @ESFoodMag